Good Morning Merry Sunshine .

Somehow this song is in my head lately ; my primary school song .

" Good Morning Merry Sunshine ......How did you wake so soon .....? You scare away the little stars ......and shine away the moon............ "

I used to sing this to my children when they were babies . Now my daughter will put her hands to her ears when she heard my croaky voice singing .Anyway ...that's not what I'm going to write in my blog . Another episode maybe .

Welcome 2008 . A new year and a new start . Welcome back to school too . In my case welcome to the five days a week of being on the expressway ferrying my two children to and from school . And that will be continuous for the whole of 2008 . A twenty minutes drive to reach the destination …meaning a five hours on the road a week . That’s bad ….because the side effect is ..........my bum is getting bigger .

So …the past one and half months had been wonderful . Monotonous maybe but the thrill of sleeping thru the alarm when it rang never felt so good …..but not for long . Much as I wanted to sleep in , my natural biological alarm refused to compromise …..my brain just refused to allow me to sleep .....so I will be up and about to begin the day .

I hope the school days ahead will begin with a good day ……..important ...........as I am the first person my children will be in contact with before they head for school . Its sad really to see them with grumpy faces and sadness in their eyes ...to begin a rough day at school is horrible .



I like it when the day begins with a sunny day . That’s because I can get more things done …like doing my marketing . Along the way , I would be jotting in my mind the “ To do list ” for the day .


On the way to school we would be passing acres of paddy fields . Green and refreshing to the eyes. Beautiful as it looks so peaceful .More so when the sun is just about to rise and peek behind the coconut trees.

Wet paddy fields.

Green green paddy of home .

This picture was taken during sowing of the paddy grains .

After dropping the kids off , I would be picking up the papers at the newspaper vendor . Each day I would be meeting the same familiar faces that I have build a special kind of rapport with them . They are my first contact with the outside world and the conversation would begin with a “ Good morning ” “ How are you ? ” would be the next line . Simple but pleasant enough to begin the day .

That's Dr. Lim on the right . In the middle is the employee from Nepal. On the left is the newspaper vendor . He called me " Kakak ( Sister ) " . How nice ......

Both Dr. Lim and me has this habit of browsing thru the other papers before deciding and paying for the desired paper that we wish to buy . Not good ...somehow a tolerable attitude .....anything for goodwill maybe ? At times we would conduct some small talk for a couple of minutes . Then its off to do one’s own errands.

Reaching home I would be greeted by my neighbor's dog . Much as I appreciate the home coming .....I just am not on friendly terms with him ...........as I am scared of dogs . And this animal is happy enough not to allow me out of the car . So I would be stuck for a couple of minutes ...after much ......Shoo...dog.....shoo....!!!!

This pix was taken when I was stuck in the car . This dog being outside the car door . He was most happy to pose .

Till then ........hope to keep you posted . Be good...take care .....and have a nice day.

Goodbye 2007

Hello 2008.....Goodbye 2007 .....

What have I achieved ? Did I get to fulfill my 2007 resolutions ? I don't remember making any though .

Come to think of it , I don't remember celebrating any new year by partying the night away . Maybe its because I have a pretty strict father .....who frowned upon his daughters who attend such functions . So boring ...some might say . Looking back .....I guess I'm one of those who just don't seem to enjoy such things . I must say I never get to see the hard partying people who sang Auld Lang Syne ....a party / a place full of lights , disco balls , loud blaring music and confetti and drinks .

So I never experienced having hangovers ...because I don't drink and I don't like to associate myself in the company of people who drinks ...beers ...or whatever booze . I just don't like the smell of such intoxicating drinks .

On new year's night I would be in front of the television ..perhaps with a book in my hand . My children would perhaps be in bed or joining me . I would be busy text messaging to friends and family members that is if I am not tired . Maybe I would be fast asleep in bed by that time . I couldn't care less as long as I wake up to another beautiful and peaceful morning ......the usual routine....of doing the laundry ...., cooking ..maybe doing baking ...cleaning up....the usual things .

Anyway , to those who do intend to party the night away ....take care and stay safe .....there are some sick souls out there who love to pry on innocent peole and spoil your evening or night .

Until then , Happy New Year to you .

What Do I Do .......to............. ?

Hello ......Anybody out there? If there is ...allow me to ..............help...!!!!...there are 40 furry legs weaving themselves around my legs ..........help me ...........!!!! they are making me fall.............!!!!!!!!!!

Gasp!!!...I'll survive ...........another day ........another day of tolerating these creatures.........they came ....they conquered and they invaded my habitat !!!

I remembered meeting one of them .....

It came to me ...I knew it was a she ....she had that elegant way of walking ...honestly she had that air about her ....turning up her nose up in the air ....snubbing you ....so proud .....and she had this big pair of green eyes . I think both of us were lonely ...me being in a new place ...no friends ...new environment ....practically ...the new old lady on the bloke .

She came ....strutting down the alleyway ....so berani .....not scared one this cat ...so li hai ( terror ) .....of course she knew she was courting trouble .....coz the next few months we crossed each other's path ....she was heavily pregnant .And she got the guts to show up at my backyard .....meowing away for food . Now....as you know ....these creatures had their own way of attracting attention that you just can't ignore . Its just so..........so.............irritating to hear that sound .You just had to give in to their demands . You see how capable these creatures are of twisting and tugging your heartstrings and the sound ..meowing away .. piercing your eardrums ....and practically melting your ear wax along the way .

Well........I gave in.........and fed her ....see ...how good they are in choosing a lonely poor old woman . S ucker!!!! That thing must have called me .

And then she gave birth ......to four new kid(tens) . I never did meet their daddy at that time . So how I could be so heartless and turn away a single mother ......I wouldn't want to bear the responsibility of abandoned kidt(tens) near the tong sampah . So they stayed on ...well ....not in my backyard ...but next door ..an empty house . Imagine ...the whole house for themselves !!!

Of course .....day in and day out ....they will find food ...not only from me ...but from my neighbors as well . Then mother cat got herself pregnant again . ( By this time I had met and saw the daddy cat .....he came now and then ...to check on them....a busy one ...always on business trips ).

When I was away for the holidays last two months ...I saw this ...........when I came back .....



Another four.....................!!!!!kidt(tens )


And they grew..........



and they play ( nothing to do ..what ??? )



and occupied whatever space they could find ............



Anything that caught their fancy ....and make them happy .....



So now my house is raining with cats ...........I'm being adopted by these creatures and am help captive ....to do every bidding from them .........they are the masters in this house . I am their slave !!!!!!!!!

What do I ............do ..........to make them hate me ??????

The Muhibbah Spirit

Yes sir........it could only be in Malaysia . The last four months of the year is packed with festivals . I'm proud to say my friends comprised all of these different races and their festivals .I don't have to leave Malaysia to experience these celebrations .The tag Malaysia truly Asia is most apt.

The best part of all these celebrations is that you can visit your friends ( who you know are celebrating the festivals ) . You don't need an invitation .The procedure is simple . No complications and non fussy . All it need is your time . Do dress appropriately . Do go with an open heart and open mind . Be happy because its a happy occasion .

Next step is .............just walk in ( to gate crash doesn't apply here ) to your friend's house and in turn your friends will welcome you with open arms . Mind you ......they are glad and really appreciate the effort you had put in to wish them a " Selamat Hari Raya Aidil Fitri " or " Selamat Hari Gawai " or "Happy Deepavali " or " Merry Christmas " or " Happy Chinese New Year " .

Food and drinks will be served . Their houses are beautifully decorated ; spruced up and cleaned ...to welcome guests and friends . Your friend's family will all be there ....dressed in their finest.... that's what the festivals all about ...to be celebrated with family . So you stay on for a while .....you talked of happy times ...asking about where so and so is ....etc . etc . You feel good , happy and glad to have met them again. And they in turn feeling proud to have a friend in you who took the time to celebrate the occasion with them . That's the muhibbah spirit .

My christian friends will be celebrating christmas tomorrow . Merry Christmas to my ex colleagues Dury Saing , Johanna Alfred , Sara Tero , Suma Sundom , Monica and other childhood friends ..Cecelia Rentis , Rose Gringgu and school friends...Pauline Fam , David Leong , Pearly Liew , Elsie Chow , Grace Arthur , Noni Peter and many many more ....wherever you are my friends .

Last month the Hindus celebrated their Deepavali ...Festival of Lights . Most Hindu houses will make the " kolam " found near entrances .

Beautiful motifs made of fine colored rice as a gesture of welcome .

And two months earlier , the muslims celebrated Hari Raya Aidil Fitri . Again another joyous occasion where you will get to meet the family members who will try to make it home for family gatherings .

My brother's house . All decked out with colorful lights .


The little Hari Raya visitors . All dressed in their best clothes .

Feeling glad that your cousins came by to visit you .

What more can I say ? All these celebrations are happily welcomed and embraced by all Malaysians ....I'm glad that I'm able to enjoy these celebrations in peace and harmony . May we Malaysians live in many many more years of continuous peace .....

Till then ...............

My Kitchen , My Kingdom

Well , I did tell you that we bought a house .....and that I'm pretty excited about it . The house is completed and we could shift in if we want to . However it is not to be so at the moment .

This new terrace house that we bought is pretty small as compared to our old house on Borneo island . I just love the big compound that surrounds the old house .....spacious grounds .....plenty of space .Now that space is what I don't have in this new house .

I don't want to dwell on the design of this terrace house .Suffice to say I need some additional space for this new habitat of mine . Lucky for me , my husband agreed that the dining table which is sharing space with the living room need to be moved into the kitchen .But that will cramped up the kitchen .....my kingdom . So my better half said ...move the kitchen to the back of the house ...meaning to say ...utilize the whatever space there is behind there .

So that was what we did . We called in the contractor to break down the wall .This guy was so focused ............the wall was hacked and down it came ...to create the space that I need for the kitchen . Down came the fence too.....that marked the boundary of my house . Wow ...what a mess .

Bless This Mess. The back portion of the house .
That's where my kitchen will be ....my kingdom.

Five days later , we dropped by and was pleased to see the progress. They had walled up that back portion and had it plastered as well . The work in progress was superb .

Walled up . Window and door openings .

All plastered up ......the kitchen

Now , I am planning what goes in the kitchen . The appliances and its fixtures . Of course if I could I need a ........perfect kitchen . It would have been great to have one that I saw in the showroom . Alas ....there is the budget to think of . My husband once said ...." Hello .....the way you are planning your kitchen ........its as if you have loads of money to spend . " Hehehe ....its okay to dream and drool a while over my supposed to be perfect kitchen decked out in the most

expensive appliances and fixtures .

So now .....I am still planning about my kitchen cabinets .....ample table top space for preparation of food and for baking as well ....storage for my pots and pans plus my kuali ....the crockery and cutlery . I need a pantry ...a pulled out if possible ( but impossible to have due to the kitchen limited space ) , like I saw in the show house . Oh ya ....I need to plan as to where I need to put the rice cooker .... the toaster , the microwave oven , the thermos flask , the fridge ....last but not least my lesung batu as well .

My ...my....my....!!! I really need to sit down and think ....I'll be meeting the contractor who will assist me in making my kitchen .....where the Queen of the house rules .........come true .

So stay safe and be good. Be in touch with you again .

Rules , Teachers , Books And Homework

In another twelve days , my children will be saying goodbye to their holidays . Its the beginning of the new school term for 2008 .



Rules will be reinforced ..important for any school to function . Rules need to be observed by all...the teachers , students , school administrators and parents .



Homeworks are part and parcel of school life ......an allergy to most students . Too much of homework will be lethargic to them too . My children will be expected to attend extra curriculum activities in the afternoons . Apart from that some students will be attending tuition classes at night .....arranged by their parents . I wonder how some parents are able to coerce their children to attend tuition classes as mine just refused to attend .

After end of this year year end examination ....my children are agreeing half heartedly to take up tuition classes for some subjects . Malaysian education system is very much examination oriented ......the success of the student is rated on how well they had done in their public examinations . In certain ways this will determine their future as well especially the profession they will be in .

I have not identified the tuition center yet .I know it is tough for them .....Time management is of utmost importance here .

Living in multi racial Malaysia , their class will be an assortment of malays , chinese and indians . The chinese will be a minority in the school that my children is attending as most chinese prefer to send their children to the chinese medium school ....meaning all subjects are taught in Mandarin . Of course , Bahasa Malaysia and English are being taught too . An advantage for them ...as these students are able to learn three languages . Malay , English and Mandarin .


My middle child will be in Form Two . He will be meeting his old classmates and perhaps the entrance of another new student in his class . He commended that the students in his class don't seem to interact much with each other . The indians will mixed among themselves....and so are the malays . He said in his old school in Sarawak .....his friends are of various ethnic groups ......" I really love it there . " he said .

Guess it will take time for his classmates to bond . However , I do hope my son will be himself and interact with all regardless of race and religions .

As for my daughter , it will be a new environment for her . She will be in Form One and attending the same school as her brother . A new class and a new set of friends .

Happiness and Sadness

Five days ago ...my youngest and only daughter celebrated her twelve birthday . How time flies . Twelve years ago ...she was just a tiny little bundle of joy in my arms . I delivered her thru the C section . Compared to her two elder brothers , her birth weight was the lightest at only 3.25 kg . She came with an abundance of thick black hair . Of course , the usual baby smell came as a package .

I must say her arrival was a consolation to my father , brothers and sisters and myself.....as we had lost my mother a few days earlier prior to her birth . I was indeed heartbroken when my mother passed away . I was looking forward to spend my post natal period with her . Yasmin would have been my mother's first granddaughter ; from her daughter ..that is me .

I remembered receiving the call at 3am from my nephew . I remembered I did not break down and cried immediately . It was another five seconds later that I let myself go and sobbed .......Then I woke up my sister in law and my husband .

We had actually planned to drive down to my hometown on that day too .How I wished God had allowed us the time to be with each other for the last time . Just a couple of hours more ..... But it was not meant to be . God loved her more and she was taken away as God had promised ...not a second earlier nor a second later .

Come December ...it is a feeling of sorts for me . A celebration for Yasmin . Alhamdullillah ....she is a healthy girl and growing up normally for a girl her age . Of course at this age , the changing hormones within her body is making me and her to work hard to understand the sudden mood swings . Its just never easy growing up .

On the other hand December is also a sad month for me. I would reflect the moments I had with my mother .So full of beautiful memories .....I wish I could continue making memories with her. Its just so easy to remember the number of years she left us .She must be happy and glad that my daughter inherited her name ....Fatimah . My husband added another name Yasmin....so my daughter's full name is Yasmin Fatimah . My daughter is proud of her name and said its such a beautiful name .

Salam Aidil Adha

i

We will be celebrating Hari Raya Aidil Adha in two days time . When I was young , I call this festival as Hari Raya Haji or Hari Raya Korban .

All the muslims in the world will be celebrating this wondrous and religious occasion . The atmosphere is most felt for those muslims who are doing their pilgrimage to Mecca . A once in a life time trip . If you have the means you can perform the Hajj a couple of times if you want to .

Insyaallah , I hope to go too and do the pilgrimage with my family .

For those muslims who are not performing the Hajj , this religious occasion will still be celebrated on a moderate scale . The day will start off with prayers at the mosque . A couple of cows , goats or sheeps will be slaughtered as sacrifice .

I will not be with my father to celebrate this occasion . My other siblings will be there with him . I think my heartstrings will be tugged tremendously when I hear the " takbir " being performed on that day and the next couple of days ...praising ALLAH SWT. Tears will flow as hearing the takbir is so so so " Syahdu " ...it made you paused and stopped in your tracks and reflect for a while the greatness of ALLAH SWT .

Fun.....Fun.....Fun......

I'm blessed and glad that I was able to make a trip to Trengganu ...land of my forefathers . It was an opportunity too to impart knowledge to my children of their roots. I think its important to tell them stories ; about your family ...... your forefathers , your heritage ; childhood stories......anything . I hope in the future they will make an effort to tell these stories to their children too .

Like I said it was a strange feeling ....driving down the highway with scenes of endless sandy beaches ....looking golden in the sun ; tall coconut trees literally on both sides of the road ...with swaying leaves as if welcoming us ......

I watched ....taking in the whole view . For a moment , I went back in time .....to the late 1920s the time grandfather packed his bags and moved out .....leaving his kampong . Hit the road Jack!

I can imagine the place .............a huge area , practically a jungle .The beach would have been been pretty much the same .....more rustic and more trees on its shores .....with sampans beached there as well .The water would have been more blue ...cleaner , pollution free and much much more beautiful . I doubt if there were any rubbish strewn on the beach .

The folks would have led a simpler life ....mostly fishermen and doing their cottage industries of batik painting , songket weaving and wood carvings ....of which they are famous for . Yes , they are simple people but they are rich in their heritage ....which we could still see and experience now .

On the other hand , they could be finding hard to survive ....too poor to even find the next meal . Perhaps that was why grandpa left the place ...seeking for a better future and a better livelihood . Or maybe he had a tiff with his family .....walked out and never looked back . A sacrifice indeed .....for himself and his descendents . If grandpa had not left his kampong ...he would not have met my grandmother . My mother would not be there and I would not be on this planet too . I existed because of these people .....

I don't know how he looked like .....his height etc. Was he tall , dark and handsome ? Being dark ....there's no doubt about it . He could be dark .....because to have that very fair skin in my family is quite rare .But I know he must have been a nice man ...enough to make my grandmother loved and married him .He died and was buried in Kuching ; far from his birth place . He must have been a tall man ....I saw his grave about 25 years ago . It was quite long. That was the only time I visited both his grave and my grandmother's .

Now , a century after he was born ...I went to his birthplace .....hehehe.....back to my roots , back to where I partly belong.

Perhaps a few more visits ...and we could get to know the place better .However , whatever time we had there we enjoyed and savoured the moments .

At the beach ..with waves swirling at his feet as it hit shore . Fun for Amir.

I like this . Amir made this out of sea shells.

Playing Chess on a huge chess board . Yasmin said she won the game .
Amir said she forfeited the game .....so he should have won .Whatever !!

The one and only Yasmin Fatimah .

Batik Painting Class

I had a fantastic time during the recent few days in Terengganu .It was raining ...which is normal at this time of the year .It did not dampened my spirits though . After breakfast , I walked around the hotel and found a shop selling clothes and handicrafts . What was beautiful about this particular shop was that it specialized in making batik .

The lady in charge was friendly and told me that at the hotel her company provides batik painting class . She told me the way ...walk straight ...you find the staircase ...walk down and turn right and you will find the place . I did all that and sure enough I found it .

Another girl was there .... the batik painting artist . She was with another student adult ; showing him the techniques of batik painting . She smiled ; greeted me and told me to wait. I browsed around and saw other batik works . They were beautiful pieces.............

A design with Sarawak motifs

Very inspiring .......

Creative ........................

Later , I watched her draw . I was mesmerized . She was just so good !!!!!

Free hand drawing . Note the special tool used . There's hot candle wax in there mixed with a kind of substance to produce the distinct outline .

Full of confidence . Composed .

I found an empty piece of yet to be painted cloth that fascinates me ...the design was simple and with clear lines . Rather abstract . Should be easy to paint in the colors .

The unpainted abstract design .

Jay , that was her name , came to assist me in choosing the colors . She gave me some tips and showed me the techniques . It looked simple and easy .

Then I held the brush ...., dipped it in paint and placed the paint brush to the desired place to be painted . Wow ....the colors just spread on the piece of cloth . Painting must be within the lines . I just have to be careful . I tried all the colors for my work . And this is the end product .

Bright colors . Colorful indeed.

Don't you think its beautiful ? My first attempt at batik painting . Just looking at this piece of art work and to know you had completed this piece gave you a kind of satisfaction within you . It took me 2 hours to complete my master piece . Yes sir , it lifted up my feelings . Outside it was still raining heavily with strong roaring winds .

Exhilarating !

Then I tried again...on another piece.



I feel good.............!!!!!

The Trip

Last saturday , we made a trip to Kertih , Terengganu ; a town on the east coast of Malaysia . It was nightfall when we arrived at our destination .We clocked a distance of about 700 kilometers.Pretty exhausting as its just not that exhilarating to sit in a small space for hours on end . Bad for your back and your bum .

We had lunch at this R&R. Nice and clean place .



The only QTC 9117 on the road .

We made a couple of stops along the way ; to stretch our legs and ease ourselves .Bought some drinks and fruits .

Approaching Terengganu . A tranquil place .
Lots of coconut trees and beautiful beaches .

Welcome to Trengganu . My grandfather's birth place .

Terengganu . Back to my roots .Feeling strange and kind of queasy about it . If grandpa is alive , he would be pleased......extremely pleased!

The House

Hello there .

Its been a while since I put down my thoughts on paper . I created this new blog.....Jocy's Jottings ............a place for me to jot down my feelings and thoughts .....thinking aloud too .My previous blogs are still there ....hibernating , just waiting for the time to press the delete button .

The past two days were pretty hectic . My better half and myself had been meeting some contractors to do the renovation work to our own house . We hope to shift by early February 2008. So , I'm full of excitement now as its just not fun to rent a house for the past one year .

Our rented house at RM500 a month

We bought the same type of house ; a few blokes down the lane . We chose the same locality as there is ample space for us to park the other car . Moreover , I kind of like the idea of waking up in the morning and seeing the greens in front of the house . Its kind of suffocating to see another row of house in front at all times .

My little red car parked across the road. The limited greens ....my fresh supply of oxygen.

Behind those row of trees lies the railway track . So far , I'm getting used to the noise , like music to my ears . Not that noise pollution ....as the train trips are not frequent and far in between . I'll survive.

The neighborhood . The lane to our new house .

That's all for the time being . Will update you again .